Rockford Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing an Assault Rifle

ROCKFORD—A Rockford, Illinois man was sentenced today in federal court by U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Kapala to illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Robert J. Gray, 34, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Gray pled guilty on May 3, 2013, admitting that on May 8, 2012, having previously been convicted of a felony, he possessed at his home an SKS Norinco semi-automatic assault rifle with an obliterated serial number and 16 rounds of ammunition. Gray also possessed at his home $372,993 in U.S. currency, diamond jewelry, six cell phones, a digital scale, a pocket scale, a heat sealer and bags, and plastic grocery bags filled with rubber bands.

The defendant was originally charged in state court and was transferred to federal court, where he was charged under tough federal firearms laws as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an intensive, cooperative effort between local, state, and federal law enforcement to attack gun crimes. The cornerstone of the program is that every defendant committing an offense involving a gun will be reviewed for possible federal prosecution in order to obtain the harshest penalties for the worst offenders. Additional information about Project Safe Neighborhoods may be found at www.psn.gov.

The sentencing was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Constance Hester, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Robert J. Holley, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Joseph Bruscato, Winnebago County State’s Attorney; and Richard Meyers, Winnebago County Sheriff.

The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott R. Paccagnini.